The difference between laser cutting machine and traditional processing technology in sheet metal processing industry

With the rapid development of sheet metal processing technology, the domestic processing technology is also changing with each passing day, and the gap between the developed countries and foreign countries is getting smaller and smaller. Many well-known foreign-funded enterprises have moved their manufacturing bases to China. Many revolutionary ideas have come.

As the traditional sheet metal cutting equipment, there are (NC and non-NC) shearing machines, punching machines, flame cutting, plasma cutting, high pressure water cutting and so on. These devices occupy a considerable market share in the market, one is well-known, and the other is cheap. Although their disadvantages are very obvious compared to modern processes such as laser cutting, they also have their own unique advantages.

(CNC) Shearing machine is mainly used for straight-line cutting. Although it can cut plates up to 4 meters long, it can only be used for sheet metal processing that only needs straight-line cutting. It is generally used in industries where straight-line cutting is required after the sheet is flattened.

Flame cutting as the original traditional cutting method due to its low investment, in the past, the processing quality requirements were not high, and when the requirements were too high, it could be solved by adding a machining process, and the market holding amount was very large. Now it is mainly used to cut thick steel plates over 40mm. Its disadvantage is that the thermal deformation during cutting is too large, the slit is too wide, the material is wasted, and the processing speed is too slow, only suitable for rough machining.

Plasma cutting and fine plasma cutting are similar to flame cutting. The heat-affected zone is too large, but the precision is much larger than flame cutting. The speed also has an order of magnitude leap, and has become the main force of mid-board processing. The actual cutting accuracy of the top domestic CNC fine plasma cutting machine has reached the lower limit of laser cutting. When cutting 22mm carbon steel plate, it reaches a speed of more than 2 meters per minute, and the cutting end is smooth and smooth, with the best slope. Controlled within 1.5 degrees, the disadvantage is that the thermal deformation is too large when cutting thin steel plates, and the slope is also large. When the accuracy requirements are high, there is nothing to do, and the consumables are relatively expensive.

High-pressure water cutting is the use of doped emery in high-speed water jets to cut sheet metal. It has almost no restrictions on the material, and the thickness of the cutting can be almost 100mm or more. It is also suitable for ceramics, glass and other materials that are easy to burst when thermally cut. Can be cut, copper, aluminum and other high-reflective laser waterjet materials can be cut, but laser cutting has greater obstacles. The disadvantage of water cutting is that the processing speed is too slow, too dirty, not environmentally friendly, and the consumables are also higher.

Laser cutting is a technological revolution of sheet metal processing, which is in sheet metal processing; machining center. Laser cutting has high degree of flexibility, fast cutting speed, high production efficiency, and short production cycle, which has won a wide market for customers. Laser cutting has no cutting force, no distortion in processing; no tool wear, good material adaptability; no matter it is simple or complex parts, it can be cut by laser precision forming at a time; its slit is narrow, the cutting quality is good, the degree of automation is high, and the operation Convenient, low labor intensity, no pollution; can realize automatic cutting layout and nesting, improve material utilization, low production cost and good economic benefit. This technology has a long effective life span. At present, most of the super-constructed 2 mm plates are laser-cut. Many foreign experts agree that the next 30-40 years will be the golden period for the development of laser processing technology (the direction of sheet metal processing development) .